Dispenser for impression material



Nov. 7, 1967 P. ZAND'BERG ETAL 3,351,244

DISPENSER FOR IMPRESSION MATERIAL Filed Aug. 8, 1966 FI J,

Y /I G v Zmwn R 4WN w MAE T F,0 5 A J n W P United States Patent Office 3,351,244 Patented Nov. 7, 1967 3,351,244 DISPENSER FOR IMPRESSION MATERIAL Paul I. Zandberg, 8202 Romaine, Los Angeles, Calif. 90046, and Charles F. Taylor, 2160 El Cajonita St., La Habra, Calif. 90631 Filed Aug. 8, 1%6, Ser. No. 571,957 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-216) The present invention relates to a dispenser for dental impression material. In the practice of denture prosthesis it is common practice for the dentist to make impressions with suitable material of the mouth or teeth of the patient. This impression material varies and in some instances comprises plaster of Paris, zinc oxide or paste, special waxes, reversible colloids, which materials when brought into contact with the object of which the impression is to be taken provides a negative copy or counterpart of the object impressed. At the present time there is upon the market impression materials which have a rubber base, silicone, or paste. Materials such as the rubber base and silicone materials require accuracy in the preparation thereof and it is customary to apply said materials in a measured volume on a pad for mixing with another chemical such as a plasticizer of equal volume and then spatulating the two materials. This spatulation must be done very carefully and accurately and in accordance with the manufacturers directions. If the volume of plasticizer is diilerent from that of the impression material, faulty results may be obtained. It should be noted that the properly mixed impression material should be plastic at temperatures that can be tolerated by the oral tissues of the patient, and that such impression materials should copy accurately the fine lines and irregular surfaces to which it is applied followed by hardening of the material in a reasonably short time without contracting, expanding or warping at ordinary temperatures. Unless the impression material is properly mixed on the pad by the technician, these desired characteristics for the impression materials are not obtained. After the impression material has been thoroughly mixed, the same is placed within a tray and the impression material then positioned against the tissues of the mouth or teeth while hardening. This is for primary impressions while secondary impressions may be made as required.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a measuring unit for impression material, which unit is accurate in the dispensing of impression material, rapid in action and superior to measuring units now known to the inventors. Thus an object of the present invention is to accurately dispense varying desired amounts of impression material onto a pad to be spatulated and which eliminates all guess work so far as the volume of said material desired is concerned.

A further object is to provide an impression material dispenser so constituted and arranged as to hold a tube of said impression material in such a position as to readily dispense a measured quantity or volume thereof from the tube and sealing the tube for further use in the dispensing of additional impression material.

Other objects include inexpensiveness of construction, ease of operation and general superiority to means and methods now used for dispensing impression materials.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser shown holding a tube of impression material;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, partially sectional view in front elevation of the dispenser, the slide thereof being in a moved position from that of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, sectional view on the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of FIG- URE 3, the plunger element thereof being in a moved position;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the base of said dispenser;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary, partially sectional view of the slide element and measuring tube;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the plunger of the dispenser.

Referring to the drawing, the complete dispenser for denture material is shown at 1 and the same includes a base 2 having a slide 3 movable within a slideway 4 of the base and a measuring tube 5 extending laterally from the slide 3, and a plunger 40 for reception in the measuring tube. The slide 3 is of substantially uniform thickness of rectangular form, and provided with dovetail or tapered parallel sides 6 and 7 merging in a curved end 8 and with sides terminating inwardly from the opposite end of the slide as shown at 9 and 10 to provide stops, shoulders or ledges. The slideway 4 of the base 2 is of groove form with top and side bounding members 11, 12 and 13. The bounding members are of flange form and the groove opens outwardly from end 14. The bounding or flange members, as well as the top, have dovetail edges 15 which are complimentary to the dovetail edges 6, 7 and 8 of the slide. A close fit engagement between the base and the slide is contemplated. The curved head of the slide is received within the dovetailed head of the base when the slide is moved to the position shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The ledges or shoulders 9 and 10 engage the ends of the flanges of the base to stop slide movement. The slide is provided with a laterally projecting measuring tube 5 having a uniform diameter bore 20, the bore of which registers with a like diameter bore 21 in the slide. Preferably the tube 5 and the slide are integrally formed and the slide is provided with an encircling boss on its inner surface which is coaxial with the bore 21 of the slide as shown at 22.

The base is provided on the surface opposite that of the slideway with two spaced apart bosses 25 and 26. The internal diameter of the boss 25 is the same as the size of the bore in the slide and, likewise, the bore of the measuring tube 5. The base in the slideway is provided with a depression 27 in axial alignment with the bore of the boss 25 for reception of the boss 22 when the slide is in the position relative to the base as shown in FIGURE 3.

The boss 26' is internally screw threaded at 30 and provided with a short length small diameter tube 31 extending axially and spacedly through the threaded area 30 and communicating with a coaxial depression 32 in the slideway. The internal threads of the boss 26 are adapted to cooperate with the. external threads on the neck of a collapsible tube 35 with the tube 31 passed through the neck of the collapsible tube and terminating in a position beyond the neck and shoulder of said collapsible tube as shown irl FIGURE 3. Thus, when the slide and its measuring tube is moved from the position of FIGURE 3 to that of FIGURE 1, accuracy of axial position of the measuring tube 5 with the tube 31 is assured due to the boss 22 being received in the depression 32 to releasably lock the base and the slide in position. When the slide is moved upwardly to the position of FIGURE 3, the boss 22 is received in the depression 27 whereby the bore of the boss 25 is in axial alignment with the tube 5.

A plunger designated generally as 40 has a head 41 provided with a feather edge 42. The plunger is graduated at 46 and 44, the graduations being index marks for measuring the volume or quantity of material to be dis 7 pensed from the measuring tube 5. Thus the plunger hasv 3 four riblike members in a 90 relationship as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 with certain of the ribs being reduced in height to provide graduations and with the head 41 of circular form. The ribs stiffen the plunger and allow manipulation thereof as well as an indexing means.

The measuring tube may likewise have variable diameter shoulder portions at 50 and 51 corresponding to the indexes shown at 43 and 44 of the plunger for judging the amount of material received within the measuring tube and to be dispensed therefrom.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention are as follows.

In FIGURE 1 a collapsible tube 35 containing impression material is assumed for the present to be a rubber base or a silicone, has the screw threaded neck thereof threaded within the threaded boss 26. The tube 31 projecting from the base and through said boss will enter the neck of the collapsible tube beyond the shoulder 71 of said tube as shown in FIGURE 3. This leaves an annular pocket space 72 between the interior of the shoulder and the inwardly projecting end of the tube 31. It is intended that the tube 35 should remain in the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 3 until all of the material therein has been dispensed. Thus, the slide 3 is moved to the position shown in FIGURE 1 wherein the measuring tube 5 is in axial alignment with the tube 31 which position is obtained when the boss 22 of the slide enters the circular depression 32 in the base to provide a detent which indicates such axial alignment. The tube 35 is then squeezed to direct the impression material in a measured amount into the volume measuring tube 5 to a given indication such as 50 or 51. It is therefore preferable that the measuring tube be of a transparent plastic so that the material may be seen to how within said tube. After a given volume of impression material has been moved within the measuring tube, the slide 3 is moved upwardly within the slideway until the ledges or shoulders 9 and 10 strike the bottome edge of the base to limit such upward movement at which time the boss 22 will enter the depression 27 in the base to hold the measuring tube in axial alignment with the boss 25. The plunger is then inserted within the boss 25 and moved inwardly of the measuring tube to eject from the outer end of the measuring tube said impression material. Preferably an impression material is placed upon a pad. As certain impression materials require a plasticizer, a duplicate dispenser may be utilized, the tube connected thereto containing said plasticizer, and the plasticizer may be ejected into tube 5 and then ejected by the plunger onto the pad. There is therefore equal volumes of impression material and plasticizer upon the pad which may be spatulated for further use and then placed within an impression tray. It is intended that variable amounts of impression material and plasticizer shall be used in accordance with the type of impression to be made such as a bridge impression, denture impression, either full or partial, and the like. Consequently, the indicating portions such as Sil and 51 for the volume measuring tube, as well as the indicating portions 43 and 44 for the plunger, readily allow a definite amount of material to be ejected onto the pad.

The present invention eliminates all guesswork on the part of an operator, as usually the operator will place both the plasticizer and the impression material in ribbon form on a pad and oftentimes the ribbon of each of the materials will vary in thickness with the result that proper mixing of the two does not occur which, of course, is detrimental to the forming of a proper impression material. The present invention assures that by filling the measuring tube to a given indicating line that the volumes of both materials will be equal.

The position of the tube 31 within the collapsible tube as shown in FIGURE 3 is important in that the annular space 72 provided by this construction acts to relieve pressure from the tube content. After the collapsible tube has been squeezed, the material is under pressure and ordinarily the material would tend to flow through the neck of the tube or, at best, to be received between the slide and the base. However, the tube 31 in its position, allows a space such as 72 in which this excess pressure against the material is relieved with the result that there is no outward flow through tube 31 of the impression material.

We claim:

1. A dispenser, including: a base provided with an upper and a lower transverse opening, the lower opening of which is adapted to have a collapsible tube secured thereto, a slide carried by the base and a measuring tube projecting from the slide and adapted in one position of the slide to communicate with the lowermost opening of the base and in a second position to close the lowermost opening and align with the uppermost opening of the base, said collapsible tube adapted to eject into the measuring tube impression material and said measuring tube having measuring indications to indicate the volume of material received therein, and a plunger provided with measuring marks for moving the impression material in said measuring tube outwardly thereof.

2. A dispenser for impression material, including: a base provided with an open end slideway, a slide for movement in said slideway, said base provided on one surface with first and second bosses, the slide provided with a measuring tube and the slide adapted to be moved to position the measuring tube in coaxial alignment with either boss, one of said bosses adapted to receive the neck of a collapsible tube having a shoulder containing impression material for reception within said measuring tube and said slide being movable to position the measuring tube in axial alignment with the second boss while closing passage through the first boss,-and plunger means for admittance through the second boss into said measuring tube to eject impression material therefrom.

3. The device of claim 2, the boss for the collapsible tube being internally threaded to receive the threaded neck of the collapsible tube and a short length tube extending from the base through said neck of the collapsible tube and inwardly thereof beyond the shoulder of said tube.

4. The device as set forth in claim 2, said slide provided with bosses in axial alignment with the measuring tube and said bore provided with depressions axially positioned in alignment with the bosses for positioning the slide and measuring tube in alignment with either of said bosses of the base.

5. The device as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the slideway is of dovetail form and the slide is provided with dovetail edges for reception in the dovetails of the slideway.

6. The device as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that the slide is formed with ledges to stop movement thereof in one direction when the ledges engage an end of the base and to position the measuring tube in axial alignment with a boss.

7. A dispenser, including: a base provided with an upper and a lower transverse opening, the lower opening of which is adapted to have a collapsible tube secured thereto, a slide carried by the base and a measuring tube projecting from the slide and adapted in one position of the slide to communicate with the lowermost opening of the base and in a second position to close the lower,- most opening and align with the uppermost opening of the base, said collapsible tube adapted to eject into the measuring tube impression material and said measuring tube having measuring indications to indicate the volume of material received therein, and a plunger for moving the impression material in said measuring tube outwardly thereof.

(Other references on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1901 Wiehl 2061.7 X 10/ 1932 Horvath 222-216 10/1943 Tome 22292 6 2,616,606 11/1952 Beehler 141144 2,724,385 11/1955 Lockhart 222386 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

7. A DISPENSER, INCLUDING: A BASE PROVIDED WITH AN UPPER AND A LOWER TRANSVERSE OPENING, THE LOWER OPENING OF WHICH IS ADAPTED TO HAVE A COLLAPSIBLE TUBE SECURED THERETO, A SLIDE CARRIED BY THE BASE AND A MEASURING TUBE PROJECTING FROM THE SLIDE AND ADAPTED IN ONE POSITION OF THE SLIDE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE LOWERMOST OPENING OF THE BASE AND IN A SECOND POSITION TO CLOSE THE LOWERMOST OPENING AND ALIGN WITH THE UPPERMOST OPENING OF THE BASE, SAID COLLAPSIBLE TUBE ADAPTED TO EJECT INTO THE MEASURING TUBE IMPRESSION MATERIAL AND SAID MEASURING TUBE HAVING MEASURING INDICATIONS TO INDICATE THE VOLUME OF MATERIAL RECEIVED THEREIN, AND A PLUNGER FOR MOVING THE IMPRESSION MATERIAL IN SAID MEASURING TUBE OUTWARDLY THEREOF. 